An important first step, however, is to confirm your electrical panel can safely handle the extra load of an EV charger.
Before every installation our team conducts testing to determine the load when all major electric appliances are running in addition to charging an electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. For this home installation, our test showed a load well beyond the recommended 80 to 90 per cent threshold that we are committed to maintaining.
In order to proceed with a safe solution, our team proposed to install a load management device (in this instance a “black box”). This smart device monitors the power usage of a home, allowing the EV charger to operate only when there is sufficient capacity to do so without overloading the electrical panel, and automatically stopping the EV charger if capacity becomes insufficient – for example, when other high load demand equipment in the home requires electricity, such as a heat pump, a hot tub, or an air conditioning unit.
“The installers were first rate. They installed the black box and wiring just as they said they would in their quote. No extra charges and no damage to my finished basement. They left the work area clean and tidy. I am very pleased with my new level 2 EV charger.”